Want more Teachers? Spend less on electricity.

PEDC's research on school budgets reveals an average cost of about $200 per student spent on electricity. With just shy of 1 million students region wide, that's $20 million spent on electricity - not teachers.

We here at PEDC have discovered the not so surprising truth that our schools are spending far too much money on energy, specifically electricity costs for their operations. We read through countless budget documents for the public school systems surrounding the Beltway area and researched the following counties: Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William, Montgomery, Prince George, DC, Anne Arundel, Howard, Charles, Faquier, and Stafford. After gathering the budget and enrollment data, an average cost per student was calculated at $197 annually. With nearly 1 million students enrolled in the area, that is $20 million dollars spent on electricity alone.

So you may be wondering why this matters to us here at PEDC. We incubate startups that could reduce the electricity costs faced by our school systems by 25%. That savings adds up to an extra $5 million that could be spent else where, such as hiring teachers or funds for at-risk students. Imagine all of the possible ways the operations costs could be reduced: solar energy, water efficiency, LED lighting, HVAC efficiency, and battery storage. Well you don't have to imagine it because PEDC has already found the solutions. Our companies have the ability to drastically reduce electricity costs for school systems and businesses.